"The Garrard Story" is a new book published by the family of two key people who worked at Garrard, not only through the company's heyday, but virtually from its beginning to its end.
I received mine (a fully paid-for copy...I have no connection with the family other than through contact in Internet forums)...several days ago.
The book is a good read and easily worth the price. Few other big audio companies could have had their stories told by someone as close to the "action" through as much of company history as Garrard. Fortunately we have the memoirs of Edmund W. Mortimer, who assembled the very first Garrard and remained there until his retirement around 1970. By then his son Brian was a key Garrard employee, remaining until Garrard had been sold to the Brazilian company Gradiente, and he oversaw setting up production lines there (after which he was sacked by Gradiente). Both have a not inconsiderable literacy, which helps bring the company's story to life, from its small beginnings to its peak in 1974 and through its decline.
It's not all about Garrard's triumphs. The major role in Garrard's decline played by Plessey, the electronics conglomerate that bought Garrard as a cash cow but then starved it to death, is told of, too. Of great interest: a series of articles by Edmund Mortimer about Garrard electric motors, the 401 transcription turntable (both the 301 and 401 were Edmund Mortimer's original design), production of Autoslim-chassis record changers, the Lab 80 automatic transcription turntable, servicing of household and high quality record players, and the Synchro-Lab 95 auto turntable with its revolutionary induction/synchronous motor, patented by Garrard and licensed worldwide to Dual and the Asians.
The Garrard Story
by Edmund W. and Brian E. Mortimer
published by Karen (Mortimer) Eagle
http://thegarrardstory.strikingly.com/
I received mine (a fully paid-for copy...I have no connection with the family other than through contact in Internet forums)...several days ago.
The book is a good read and easily worth the price. Few other big audio companies could have had their stories told by someone as close to the "action" through as much of company history as Garrard. Fortunately we have the memoirs of Edmund W. Mortimer, who assembled the very first Garrard and remained there until his retirement around 1970. By then his son Brian was a key Garrard employee, remaining until Garrard had been sold to the Brazilian company Gradiente, and he oversaw setting up production lines there (after which he was sacked by Gradiente). Both have a not inconsiderable literacy, which helps bring the company's story to life, from its small beginnings to its peak in 1974 and through its decline.
It's not all about Garrard's triumphs. The major role in Garrard's decline played by Plessey, the electronics conglomerate that bought Garrard as a cash cow but then starved it to death, is told of, too. Of great interest: a series of articles by Edmund Mortimer about Garrard electric motors, the 401 transcription turntable (both the 301 and 401 were Edmund Mortimer's original design), production of Autoslim-chassis record changers, the Lab 80 automatic transcription turntable, servicing of household and high quality record players, and the Synchro-Lab 95 auto turntable with its revolutionary induction/synchronous motor, patented by Garrard and licensed worldwide to Dual and the Asians.
The Garrard Story
by Edmund W. and Brian E. Mortimer
published by Karen (Mortimer) Eagle
http://thegarrardstory.strikingly.com/